SIOUX FALLS — Roland Koth, 96, of Sioux Falls, passed away Sunday, March 24, 2024.
Funeral services are 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, April 2, at George Boom Funeral Home & On-Site Crematory in Sioux Falls. Visitation is from 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, April 1, also at the funeral home.
Roland Koth was born March 17, 1928, to Paul and Bertha (Winter) Koth in rural Wessington. His youth was spent on the farm where he developed strong values and an appreciation for working the land. He graduated from Alpena High School in 1946.
Following his graduation, Roland became a full-time farmer, a career in which he excelled. He was united in marriage to Shirley Johnson on February 28, 1954, in Huron. They raised their two children, Jane and Mark, on their family farm near Wessington. He was a devoted husband and father, and always ensured that his family’s needs were met. He enjoyed a close relationship with both of his children, spending his final years living near both of them in Sioux Falls.
He loved his five grandchildren dearly and cherished time spent with each of them. He and his grandchildren celebrated many Fourth of Julys together at the family farm, where they enjoyed eating Shirley’s homemade ice cream and lighting off fireworks.
He was a strong supporter of their extracurricular activities, attending as many music and sporting events as he was able to. Roland and Shirley regularly treated their grandchildren to breakfast at All Day Café, where he would order his usual: “The Farmer’s Breakfast.” He adored his four great- granddaughters and would end his daily prayers by saying “…and be with the four little girls.”
Roland prayed for his family daily and spent much of his free time reading his Bible. He was a faithful member of the Free Methodist Church in Wessington Springs and later Linwood Wesleyan Church in Sioux Falls, along with his wife Shirley.
He had a lifelong love of music and was a talented singer and trombone player. After retiring from full-time farming, he enjoyed woodworking, solving puzzles, and working part-time at Qualified Presort. Roland was known for his wisdom and his quiet and calm demeaner. He was a humble servant of the Lord, and in his final years, he often told his family that he was ready to meet his Savior.
Left to cherish his memory are his wife of 70 years, Shirley of Sioux Falls; children, Jane (Marlin) Van Peursem of Sioux Falls and Mark (Odena) Koth of Sioux Falls; grandchildren, Jena (Louie) Carreno of Broken Arrow, Okla., Colin (Lindsay) Koth of Los Angeles, John (Abigail) Van Peursem of Choma, Zambia, Landon (Allie) Koth Sioux Falls, Kara (Trevor) Bresson of Colorado Springs, Colo.; great-granddaughters, Phoebe Carreno, Ezra and Maya Van Peursem and Finley Koth; a brother, Tom (Jan) Koth of Wessington, one sister, Sharlene (Tony) Gross of Carpenter and a host of additional family and friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Bertha; and brother, Raymond (Deloris) Koth.